Being an iconoclast and a humorist, I find that I am often amused by irreverence. This is especially true when the impious behavior is directed toward poking fun at the rich and powerful, regardless of their race, ethnicity, sex/gender, or sexual orientation. And yes, in my own attempts to juxtapose disparate ideas or simply get a laugh, I have certainly stepped over that ever shifting and often unrecognizable line between being clever and being offensive. I never try to offend, I should add, but when pushing into new territories of thinking, sometimes it just happens.
Recently I have been struck by some pieces of humor directed toward Barack Obama and I have been trying ascertain whether the creators have crossed a line. The first one, the photo with the watermelons (above), is titled something like “No, children, there will be no Easter Egg hunt at the White House this year.” Playing directly on the stereotype that black people lose themselves in the presence of watermelon, any of us would have a difficult time maintaining that the photo was created in the spirit of a good, healthy laugh.
But why would it be seen as offensive? First, when someone says that something is “offensive,” that person is actually saying that he or she feels attacked–and that the attack hurts. Second, feeling attacked in this way stems from sensing that the attacker believes that there is some degree of truth to their offensive statement, video, photo, etc. I’ve always thought that “offense” is the wrong way to describe such a feeling, but it’s the one that we’re stuck with for the time being.
While I find myself saying that people can too easily toss around the “I’m offended at that” statement, particularly because when asked many cannot say exactly what they are offended by, I do recognize that the essential feeling of not wanting to be judged is what is at the core of the feeling–and how many of us mind if others compare us to people who are like us in some identifiable way (e.g., from our nuclear family) but then engage in some immoral or improper behavior (e.g., walk around town naked while proclaiming the gospel of L. Ron Hubbard)?
I’ve heard people argue that joking that black people like watermelon is much like joking that Japanese like sushi or that Koreans like kimchi or that Mexicans like hot peppers. Sure not all do, but by and large those foods are extremely popular in those three cultures and so the generalization works. The difference, and hence why the White House watermelon image is offensive, is that blacks have been historically portrayed as hapless, stupid and apelike while eating watermelon. In other words, the watermelon has been used as a prop to drive home the point that black people are inferior.
So last year someone produced a CD with a number of songs on it and passed it around in (mostly) conservative circles–after Rush Limbaugh hawked it on his radio show. Most of the songs simply poke fun at liberals and hypocrisy (e.g., John Edwards Poverty Tour”), but others were written to provoke. One was called “Barack the Magic Negro” (the tune of “Puff the Magic Dragon” with lyrics about Obama). My first question to myself was, Is this how Republicans are hoping to recapture the black vote? In fact, one of the men who was vying for leadership of the Republican National Committee, Chip Saltsman, sent it to his supporters. That’s pretty dumb. Forget about political correctness for a moment, and whether free speech should be curtailed. Just ask this question: Would you want a guy leading YOUR political organization who thought it was okay to send such a song out to people who are already considered by many to be oblivious to race concerns–if not outright racist? Oh yeah, THAT GUY will surely revive the Republican Party.
Listen for yourself:
“Barack the Magic Negro”
Here’s another song making light of Latinos who are perceived to not want to assimilate into the United States and who, it is thought by many, want to turn this country from one that is English speaking to another that is Spanish speaking. So imagine that you are like the majority of Mexican Americans in this country and have taken residency in the United States, speak English, and swear allegiance to the stars and stripes. Along comes a song that tells others around you–your barber, your electrician, your boss, your child’s teacher–that Mexicans don’t want to be Americans and have fealty first and foremost to Mexico. The negative repercussions could be enormous, like the Latino residents who have recently been killed by angry youths on the streets of NYC who simply wanted to beat down an immigrant. Clearly someone or some thing helped these youth to cross over some line between humor and offense–and the shift had grave consequences for those who died. (One, by the way, was from a tiny town in the Ecuadorian Andes where I spent several weeks working with the local priest, and so the story did hit home with me.)
Listen to this song:
“Star Spanglish Banner”
What do you think? Do YOU know how Mexicans feel? With how many Mexicans have you spoken about this issue? What do you know about how such sentiments positively or negatively affect their lives? How would you feel about Mexican neighbors or co-workers or roommates or playmates for your child AFTER listening to this song?
There is a very fine line between funny and offensive. Most people know when to bite their tongues when around another group of people to not be seen as racist but does that really make you not racist? My mother has told me many times, “If you cannot tell that person or that group of people what you are about to say then do not say it.” It is very unlikely that you will go through your entire life without offending anyone. I enjoy telling jokes and hearing them but if I have some feeling that the joke might be offensive why say it. I do not want anyone to tell a joke that offends me so why would I want to offend others. Your audience has a lot to do with what comes out of your mouth. I many tell some red neck jokes around my friends who are white because they know me as a person but in a room full of white people I do not know I don’t think I would. I also do not get offended if my white friends ask me a question like, “Can you teach me how to make fried chicken?” because I know she wants to genuinely know how. But I do remind her that many other people might feel insulted by that question because you are assuming they know how.
Personally the picture of the watermelon white house does not offend me now I may not be African American but I am black. I can find the humor in that picture and I do not see where people will see that as crossing the line. I have seen worse pictures on the internet during the election so seeing this does not surprise me.
The songs Barack the Magic Negro and the Mexican Star Spangler banner are just childish. I would like to know who has that much time on their hands to sit down and put those songs together. Barack the Magic Negro song is just brainless, he hasn’t even been in office for a month and ridiculous stuff like this is already coming up. I cannot remember seeing anything about Bush until near the end of his term after he had run the American economy into the ground. So why so early in this new President’s term? The Republican Party sits back and wonders why they can’t get the “black” vote, well how could they when you are coming up and sharing songs like this?
The Mexican Star Spangler banner was very upsetting. Did whoever make that song actually think that people would not be offended by it or maybe that was their intention? Many Mexicans do assimilate to the American culture almost immediately. So just because a few Mexicans do not want to adapt to the American culture that makes every other Mexican must me hated. My own mother is an immigrant and to this day she will not assimilate, she refuses to. I do not understand why everyone gets so upset about someone else’s culture. How does their culture affect you personally is doesn’t so why do you care so much?
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After reading this article, I don’t think any new light has been shed on derogatory comments stereotypes. The jokes being aimed at Obama are just a result of someone’s poor humor/ignorance. I didn’t think it was funny at all, I wasn’t “offended”, but I didn’t find it humorous. I mean you have to expect that of people they will do and say anything whether derogatory or not. The person who photo shopped this picture has probably never been invited to eat with a black family at that. For all I know Asians could love watermelons. Were the hell did that stereo type come from anyway.
The way in which society uses stereo types and derogatory comments has been around since the beginning of time. I think that the overall effect basically depends on whom you’re dealing with and what lines they are willing to let others cross and visa versa. You may meet one person who laughs at these gestures and videos and takes “no offense,” they simply brush it off and keep on going on with their business. Then the flip side of this would be those who find certain, images, song etc. “offensive” they take heed to it and don’t condone it. It all depends on the individual and what they will allow to piss them off or just say f*it, say what you want I don’t care.
There are tones of stereo types out there and that is just a way for people to categorize and throw people into a box. Not all black people eat fried chicken, but yet the association is there. White people don’t posses rhythm, this may appear to be extremely true, but then again there are the rare cases like Justin Timberlake who put that to shame. It’s all up to that persons personal opinion rather it be “factual” or a myth. Personally I believe that whoever feels like their being “targeted” has to be the bigger person a say I know I’m not what you are saying I “am” and that’s just your opinion. Once people stop giving a damn about all these labels, they will eventual diminish and loose their power. The more people allow this ignorance to tick them off, the more they feed into its empowerment. As long as people want to continue to defend things they don’t believe attain to them, then the stereotypes will continue to dish out. Sometimes people even feel as though well he called me out of my name or made a joke toward my race so I will do the same. You can’t fight fire with fire because it will just keep on burning. And this is exactly what society is doing. It is going to have to take the balls of a bigger group to stand up and say you know what say what you want about me because I know its not true their for it has no meaning to “me.”
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I agree with the above comments that there is a fine line between funny and offensive. It definitely takes a lot to really get me going, but when the line is crossed, watch out. I am very comfortable with y race and I feel like I can talk about it openly and freely. I also feel comfortable enough with myself that I can talk about race with other people. Obviously, talking about race or culture with your friends is definitely easier than talking with a total stranger. But, I feel like we, as a culture, are getting closer to that point.
I felt really indifferent when watching the You tube videos in this blog and seeing the picture. Yes, maybe the person who created these images thought they were being “funny” or just poking fun at these particular people. I especially think the “Barack Obama the Magic Negro” video was just ridiculous. I personally think that Chip Sallsman, the guy who actually sent this to people is just flat out immature. Seriously? He actually thought people would find this funny? I find him absurd.
The image of the White House with the watermelons in the lawn instead of Easter eggs is very silly. I do not think it is funny at all, but I am definitely not getting all worked up about it. We all have different jokes and “stereotypes” about different cultures and races. In our recitation class last week we were discussing stereotypes and why people may find them offensive. There are so many “stereotypes” that were brought up. Some I have heard of, some I have not. A lot of times, these stereotypes and jokes are brought up around friends we know are not going to get mad at us. I would never ever go up to a Jewish person and tell them they are cheap. But, I know if I said that to some of my Jewish friends, they would find it funny and just go along with the joke. Actually, they would probably retaliate with some sort of Polish joke, even though I am not Polish at all (my last name ends in “-sky”).
I know I stereotype people a lot. I am not proud of it. I do not want to fall into the crowd with stereotyping but, in our culture, it almost comes naturally to us. Unfortunately, we were brought up in a society where it is not necessarily frowned upon, but everyone does it. Do I like doing it? I absolutely do not. Is there anything I can do about it? I can definitely try my hardest not to stereotype people or judge people and hopefully, I can influence others to do the same.
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In most cases when people attempt to make a joke or be funny they try and push the envelope. This usually involves playing to stereotypes or singling out a race or both and can be seen in most all standup comedy. In my opinion these things should be viewed with intent. As with most jokes the intent is simply to get a few laughs but sometimes the joke may have some sort of racist undertones. If the intent is malicious then there becomes a problem. I don’t know, maybe I am just weird because I have never really been offended by these types of things. I know what I am and so if people say otherwise it usually just rolls off me and I give it a good laugh. Most people are not as laid back I guess, so it may come off like I am being insensitive to their point of view, but I just don’t see the point in getting offended at every little thing; now having said that, I can see the reason that many of these types of things should be dealt with. By that I mean in a manner that would not foster more impressionable viewers (mainly children) from taking these images to another level and turning them into violent hate crimes against those stereotyped in the depictions. This is obviously an extreme case, but a pertinent topic nonetheless. Aside from that, does anyone truly feel like they are being attacked from the picture of a watermelon patch in front of the white house? I am not really familiar with the history of the joke; I know the stereotype involved but it is news to me that blacks were depicted as subhuman when eating watermelons and thus symbolizing their inferiority. I guess with that in mind I can definitely see the reason for offense. At the same time though, I find it hard to believe that the historical symbolism of watermelons is common knowledge to those who claim to be offended by the white house image. I am not really sure what to make of that. Does it perhaps mean that society has ingrained that offensive piece of the stereotype into their heads to the point that they are offended but do not truly know by what exactly? It seems a little complex and very puzzling at times. I don’t think I will ever really know for sure. Even though personally these things would not offend me, I try to see everyone’s point of view and so even though I don’t really understand the offense some times I always try to refrain from these types of jokes that play on stereotypes. Maybe that’s the best thing that we as a people can do to minimize the mal effect of our very racially divided past.
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In, When Do We Cross Over the Line, I was a little shocked at the image shown in the article. I thought it was a little absurd and rude, but I realized that it is something to be expected. With a biracial president and different stereotypes floating throughout society, things like this are not really surprising. I already know that in our world people are going to have opposing views regarding certain situations. In my discussion group, we discussed that not all stereotypes are bed. Depending on how you look at them or take them, they are just people’s opinions. They don’t always apply to everyone. In this case, watermelons are in fact a favorite of African Americans. I love watermelon and I am African American. The only reason the image in the blog, kind of caught me off guard was because in knowing the history of the white house, our current president, and just looking at the whole field covered in watermelons, I thought it was a little inappropriate. I absolutely agree with the fact that not all stereotypes are bad but I think that there is an appropriateness that goes along with it. In watching the videos on Obama and The Star Spangled Banner, I thought it was a little disturbing. I don’t understand why people waste their time. Don’t people have lives or better things to do with their time? Seriously. Poking fun at Obama and the Mexicans is not making people believe the lies being made up about them. It’s just making me think more about the person whose idea it was to make those videos. Why does Obama have to be referred to as the magic Negro? Is he not qualified for his position? Did magic really get him where he is right now? I don’t think so. I feel as though in the blog, Sam made some very good arguments coming from both perspectives. I agree with him in saying, “The difference, and hence why the White House watermelon image is offensive, is that blacks have been historically portrayed as hapless, stupid and apelike while eating watermelon. In other words, the watermelon has been used as a prop to drive home the point that black people are inferior.” I think this is exactly why when first glancing at the image it is deemed inappropriate. Sam seemed to sum it all up in those two sentences. On the other hand, I can see where Sam was coming from in saying, “I’ve heard people argue that joking that black people like watermelon is much like joking that Japanese like sushi or that Koreans like kimchi or that Mexicans like hot peppers. Sure not all do, but by and large those foods are extremely popular in those three cultures and so the generalization works. I totally agree with that statement making me able to see both sides in the presented argument regarding the photo.
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When I was growing up I had a few Hispanic friends and their life was not as exaggerated as this song makes them seem. Sure they all spoke Spanish at home and still stayed true to their culture but they always seemed as though they wanted to fit into American culture. I think the problem isn’t that Hispanics or Latinos want to separate themselves, I believe that some Americans exclude them or look down on them. I do not know if it is because some Americans ASSUME that Hispanics and Latinos want to be separate but I don’t think this can always be true if they came to this country by choice. I simply believe they do not want to lose themselves or their culture and become fully “Americanized.” What is wrong with wanting to hold on to some of their culture? Other cultures in America do it? Do we say that they are trying to form their own country inside the U.S.?
I mean, how many times has a person walked into a place of business and seen a Spanish-speaking person trying to order something but the person behind the counter could not fully understand them? Did the person behind the counter look annoyed? The bad part is that too many times the answer is yes. SOME Americans are so pompous that they feel as though everyone coming to America BETTER know how to speak English before speaking to them. I remember one of the cheesesteak joints in South Philly refused to serve anyone who could not speak English properly. They had a sign that said please speak English when ordering. This was all over the news and everything and the owners of the restaurant felt as though they had the right to do so. If anything, I feel as though Americans want everyone to speak English and forget their own language and just abide by American culture, no questions asked. However, as soon as another culture introduces a different language it is as though they are disrespecting America.
The Hispanics and Latinos that I have known all speak English very well even if their parents don’t, they still do because they know that in America you have to speak English well in order to get respect and not have people look down on you. For some reason many Americans act like people who do not speak English are stupid. Like, when they talk to them they talk as though they are speaking to a child or a person who is mentally challenged. Foreigners who can’t speak English are by no means “stupid” just because they speak another language. Whenever I see this it makes me sick because now I think of the world “ethnocentrism” because the people that do this are really acting like people who do not speak English are not as smart as people who do speak English.
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Why do we cross the line? Many responses immediately come to mind to answer this question. Some of these reasons include ignorance, indifference, inquisitiveness, and outright spite. While done for different reasons, they almost always have the same result; someone ends up offended.
We’ll start with the most obvious, outright spite. Select groups of people will cross the line in order to offend a certain race or culture of people. These include racist jokes so over the top that only a true racist would find humor in the statement. I would like to think this is a very small group of people, however, I know there are those out there that feel a certain way and have no problem saying hurtful things to show and offend others with differing beliefs how they feel, but I feel a majority of offenses are incurred by the ignorant people of this world.
The ignorant people of the world tend to think something is funny and will share this story with others. However, they are ignorant to the fact that they might have crossed the line. These people tend to offend and then immediately feel remorse and apologize when they realize what just happened. I have witnessed many of these occurrences in my time on this earth. As much as we like to believe that we are an intelligent being, I have met many people in this world who tend to disprove this theory. The indifferent offenses are a subcategory of the two previously listed.
From what I have witnessed, indifferent people may or may not realize the presence of a line, but either way feels no remorse for the offense they caused. I would not include them in the racist and outright spite group due to the fact that they do not personally attack a person, but rather tend to offend in a secondary manor. One example of this would be when a friend retorted a statement with “Your Mom!” Someone soon confronted him and said, “What if his mom was dead? It wouldn’t be as funny then would it?” He proceeded to laugh it off and say, “I think I know him a little better than you.” He then turned and walked away, but the other person’s statement made me wonder if that person might have recently lost their mother. My inquisitive nature is almost always present, and which is why I saved this category for last.
I am a very sarcastic person, which all my friends would immediately attest to. I do not set out to offend anyone, but I will almost always cross the line to get a reaction. When I say I cross the line, I don’t mean I tiptoe up to it and stop as soon as I can see someone is going to be offended. I see the line as a toe board and me as a long jumper. My comments will usually receive an awestruck gaze from a crowd. I do this in order to gage the reactions of others in the group to get an idea of how demented their minds are. By going so far over the line, you can almost immediately tell which category each person will fall into, and yes, everyone will fall into a certain category. If anyone reading this can honestly say that they have never offended anyone, then I hate to tell you but you are in the ignorant category and no one knows you well enough to confront you. My suggestion is to pull the stick out of your backside and make some friends. Being offended is the least of your problems.
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It is sad to see while we talk about the world moving forward, and peace and racial understanding gaining momentum, that people still find the time to poke fun at unnecessary things. In general, people who want racial tensions to go away, are the same people that laugh at racial jokes. However funny these jokes are, and they sometimes tend to be, those laughs only add insult to injury. Especially when those jokes are made about people who struggle to become a part of a culture, who work hard, and are still told they don’t belong.
Sure everyone likes a laugh, but there are better things to talk about than race, and there are definitely funnier things. People may argue that joking about the issue may lighten things up, but most brutality in the world began with similar, snide jokes.
Recently, for example, Michael Richards, the man who played Kramer on the hit comedy show Seinfeld, was slightly heckled (booed at) at one of his comedy shows. He attempted to joke about it and his joke was weak enough to be seen as offensive. It was what he said, and more importantly, the manner he said it in, that convinced the audience that he was trying to be offensive. This pushed the audience from heckling him to complete outrage. Especially as he was joking about a culture that he did not belong to.
I believe that racial jokes should be reserved to those who are truly talented enough to make them with offending anybody or offending everyone equally. Russell Peters, an Indian/Canadian comic, is a champion of this kind of joke and he is known for it.
I think a big reason why people are as offended as they are by racial jokes is because these jokes generally tend to target stereotypes, which are general images of a culture, or type of people. While stereotypes exist because, for the most part, they are true, stereotypes are being changed constantly in today’s fast moving world. When people are mocked by the very stereotype they are trying to change, it makes them feel as if their attempt to change is not valued, or seen as significant by the rest of the world, and this upsets them.
This is a time period when we are just beginning to understand each other’s cultures. This is a time when cultures and stereotypes and images of people are beginning to change. We should wait before we make racial jokes and definitely learn to think before we speak
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With race relations in the media, the question that comes to the forefront very often is what is funny and what is crossing the line. I value humor is day to day society and in the media. I think it brings a sense of closeness and light-heartedess to an overly serious issues. I enjoy this because it makes it more relatable to the every man who is not into reading the boring strictly business columns of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. I also believe in freedom of speech. The freedom of speech is in our first amendment, making it obvious that our founding fathers valued it very highly. This freedom also encompassing free expression and freedom to write what they please as long as it is not blatantly false. If everything becomes off limits to talk about and to joke about, race relations will never improve. I like when Sam in lecture doesnt try to be nice to everyone. He plays into stereotypes to break the ice and to show that he is on everyones team. If we are scared to talk about things, we will never be able to break the thoughts that have been thoughtlessly passed on from generation to generation. People should want to be politically correct, not forced to do so. This leads me to my main point of this post: People will be politically correct or humorous depending on whether it makes sense for them to do so. While individuals arent forced to be serious, companies who are focused on image and profitablilty usually are. So, when you work for a company who values equality and fairness, you instantly are an extension of that company or organization. By making a song called “Barack The Magic Negro” that person is doing many things simultaneously. First, they are just having fun. Second they are making a political statement. They are saying that Barack is duping the American people and they also are using a term that many people find offensive. The last thing they are doing is representing other people, who whether they like it or not, are grouped into this person words. The people writing these songs and saying certain things are representing their political parties, and in the Magic Negro case, the Republican party. I am sure that the RNC is not using the word negro in their vocabulary. It is also assumed that the people who find this funny are already against Barack, so this is convincing people of anything. The only thing I can think this really achieves is alienating all of the on the fence voters. Do they want to allign themselves with people who think or talk like this. Whether it is offensive or not, the negative connotation exists, doing only harm to the organization that they care about. The song does have legitimate arguments against Barack but by having that name, the good points are negated, in my mind, because I wouldnt want to agree with someone who talks in a disrespectful tone.
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I am white and I love watermelon. In fact, I have a very racially mixed group of friends from high school and I can in all honestly tell you that none of my black friends like watermelon. We had a senior barbeque on the last day of school and someone brought in fruit soaked with alcohol. Yeah, I know underage drinking, especially on a high school campus is not a good idea. However, we were safe and didn’t get caught. I distinctly remember this day because was one of my favorites from high school but my friends and I were sitting around with all these containers of fruit, I mean seriously what else would we eat first? We also didn’t tell the other girls (all girls high school) that the fruit was soaked in fruit and said we were on a diet. So we were playing a game, going through the yearbook and every time someone started to get too nostalgic we had to eat a piece of fruit. This got us pretty drunk pretty fast since we were abnormally close. After all the good fruit was gone all we had left was vodka soaked watermelon. I’m not saying that watermelon isn’t good it’s just that we had so much of it compared to the pineapple. So we were pretty tipsy but against all good choices we kept eating fruit. The two black girls, one white girl and one Chinese girl refused to eat the watermelon. They simply hate the fruit. We all knew this, we called them freaks for that. (I mean seriously of a group of 10 friends what are the chances that FOUR don’t like watermelon??) But in a drunken haze, one girl who was not a close friend but a good friend said to the two black girls “but you’re black, every black person loves watermelon. You are the first ones that I have met that haven’t!!!!”
Their reaction wasn’t anger or negativity. They laughed. Mainly because they knew and loved this girl (and also who wants to start a fight on the last day of high school), but they knew she meant nothing negative by it. I believe that a statement like that in a situation where you KNOW who you are talking to and you know they will understand why you are stereotyping its okay to poke fun as long as you know how far you can go. Most of the time, people do not know how far they can go. Most humor depends on who is saying it and why they are saying it. If a black person made the Easter egg/watermelon joke then I bet it would bring laughs. If a white Republican made it, they would be deemed a bastard. Humor does not transcend the race line. The Obama and Mexican songs are deemed unacceptable because they were made and passed around by republicans who are anti-Obama and anti-Mexicans/immigrants/Spanish(? However you want to phrase that?) but if Obama’s friends made a video about him or a Mexican made a Spanish version of the star spangled banner I guarantee it would bring laughs because it was meant in good fun, not to make fun. There is a difference and it a big one. It draws this line that people cross-over way too often.
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Michael Delanoy
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines offensive as “of, relating to, or designed for attack.” I believe that people that accuse others as being “offensive” are using it out of context most of the time. I believe that unless someone is directing an offensive comment towards you it cannot actually be offensive. It is perfectly fine if that statement bothers you, but claiming to take offense is a bit much. I agree that the statement “I find that offensive” is thrown around far too much and people need to realize what fits the definition of offensive and what doesn’t.
The painting of the White House being painted with watermelons may be humorous to some but it may also be insulting to others. It is true that many people joke that African Americans like watermelon, but it is an unfair stereotype because this is not true about everyone. In many instances, if someone has strong beliefs towards someone or something, their beliefs can insult and hurt others. When people make stereotypes about certain races or religions, even if it is not necessarily insulting, it can get old and bothersome to that particular people. People often assume that black people are automatically good at many sports and that they do not need to work hard to get where they are. It is true that black people are seemingly good at many sports, especially basketball and football, but this does by no means mean that they didn’t put in the work and effort to get to where they’ve gotten.
I do not believe that the Obama video crosses the line. This is something that should be expected in politics and people should realize this. It is important however that as a united nation, we support him and any decisions he makes. We elected him and put or trust in him so now it is time for everyone to let him do what he thinks is best.
As much as people love to hate Mexican people, they are what keep our nation running. Let’s be honest; no one wants to do the type of labor that they do for such little charge. They get portrayed in such a bad light however it is easy to understand why many Americans get upset. On paper it seems as though they are a hindrance to many Americans, but when it comes down to it, they jobs that most Americans wouldn’t even consider doing. However I have mixed emotions when it comes to legal immigrants versus illegal immigrants. I have a little bit of a problem with illegal immigrants because while our country is employing them, they are not even paying taxes like the rest of us.
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The picture of the watermelons is kind of funny, and I think if you dig deep enough you can find anything offensive. I think the stereotype of black people liking watermelons is more about finding something to make fun of black people for. I don’t think it is an attempt to demean black people to put them on the same level as apes. We all eat watermelon, and that doesn’t mean anyone has less class than anyone else. Black people love watermelon because it is delicious. We all love watermelon. It is juicy, refreshing, very flavorful, and fun to eat. It is a fruit that has everything going for it. It is similar to the stereotype that black people love chicken. Don’t we all love chicken? Chicken is the most solid food. It is healthy, tasty, and comes in so many great forms. Saying black people love chicken is similar to saying black people love air. Because everybody loves chicken, and everybody loves air. Now, the song about the magic Negro is a different story. It is like they are saying that it takes magic for a black guy to be a legitimate person, which is obviously ridiculous. The republicans are sour because they lost the election and are trying to put others down in order to make themselves feel better. With that being said, I don’t think its fair to say that republicans should not run our country because this song was passed around. It was a very misguided attempt at I don’t know what, but why doesn’t Barack take any heat for sitting through Reverend Wrights hate ceremonies every Sunday. Barack brought his children that he is trying to shape into respectful, loving human beings to Reverend Wrights sanctuary of hate every Sunday. Those services were un-American, hateful, and backward thinking. Should a guy that shows poor enough judgment to let his kids sit through that every week be in charge of a country? It is yet to be seen. As for the song about Mexicans, it is also unfair. The majority of Mexicans do want to conform to our culture, learn our language, and be dedicated citizens to the United States of America. However, it is not these Mexicans that stand out. The Mexicans that stand out are the few who do not attempt to learn our language. Those are the Mexicans that frustrate storeowners and others. If they are going to come to our country, they should at least try to speak our language. The answer obviously is not to make offensive stereotypes, or kill innocent Mexican young adults. The problem with the line is that people do not cross it at first; they just hang out at it for a while. But people get bored of the line, and are not entertained with it anymore. They then cross it into the more offensive humor. This doesn’t mean physically harming people. What happened in NYC is so far past the line that it shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as the line.
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This is certainly a tough question to tackle. While almost all of us get a chuckle out of “Barack the Magic Negro,” it certainly walks on that line of whether or not it’s too far. I feel as though all of us have that personal line within us as to when a joke certainly goes too far. I know that no joke can really affect me as a white person. But I certainly find it believable that black people may have a different tolerance level in the realm of racial jokes. It is important to note that the joke cannot be made in a malevolent manner. Almost certainly once that happens, I feel as though any group would take offense to that.
I think the major thing that separates “Barack the Magic Negro” and say the watermelon patch picture is there are no ill intentions implied. Probably the most offensive part is the fact the Barack Obama is called a Negro. Keep in mind that I being White can’t really relate to such a comment. From what I can tell though, the watermelon image is not that the watermelon itself is offensive but the watermelon implies that black people are simple creatures easily controlled by simple things, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Maybe this is the line for jokes too? Maybe its ok to say, “I can’t dance. I’m not black like you,” is ok because it says a positive thing, almost saying, “I’m not as good as you.” But to make a negative implication towards another group though is perhaps what causes the reaction of, “That offends me.”
Another imperative thing to consider is that certain races have tensions among each other, whether warranted or not. There will forever be that tension between Whites and Blacks due to the nation’s tainted history of slavery. However, to my knowledge, Asians and Blacks however, may have a greater tolerance in regards to racial humor because they don’t have the same wound as the other two. That makes me wonder though. What are proper rules in regards to races? Do you capitalize Blacks and Whites, or do you just treat them as any other word? I’d imagine Asian is capitalized because it includes the name of a continent.
Something else that I did want to comment on is where Sam says that it is too easy to say, “I’m offended by that.” I think that some people that are merely confrontational will attempt to use this to segue into an argument or worse, a physical fight. When it comes to this, thing’s have truly gotten bad. When anything comes to blows, which it has before, the situation definitely needs attention. Therefore that statement should never be made unless its absolutely true.
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Nowadays, I think people take things too seriously. I understand some things are going to hurt your feelings but you will never like everything in the world. The picture with the watermelons in the front of the white house was wrong. Although I thought it was a little funny. Being African American, I didn’t really take offense to it because it was just a picture. If I was to have known who actually made the picture and their race, I may feel a little differently about it. If it were a white person who made it, I might get a little upset, but what can I do about it? It is already drawn and shown to the world. A musical group called The Roots, made a album called “Watermelon, Chicken, and Grits”. No one really had a problem wit the title of the title of the CD because they were black and the type of music they wrote, went with the title. They talked about how the title signifies who they are or how their ancestors were portrayed. Watermelon, chicken, and grits are foods that were widely eaten by blacks in the south. So this picture of watermelons in front of the white house is not offensive to me. The title for the picture is not okay. “No, children, there will be no Easter Egg hunt at the White House this year” is rude. If it were just a picture that said something like “look what’s growing at the White house this season,” or “look at the new garden”, it would be a little better.
I believe when people make fun of other cultures, it is just human nature. No matter how hard people try to convince others that they don’t see a difference or they don’t acknowledge the difference is lying. It has been plenty of times where I have caught myself laughing at another culture or being shocked by another culture and thought it was weird what they did. It is just human nature and it always will be no matter what people try to do. Maybe we can try to keep it a little more discrete but I like real people and If you have some type of feeling towards anything I would rather you tell me to my face instead of say it behind my back.
Also, for the Mexican Star Spangled Banner, I thought that was a little funny but It was wrong. No one has the right to talk about any other race or make fun of any other culture, but as I said previously, people are human and that is human nature. There is probably a racist or prejudice song about every culture, somewhere on you tube. People also make fun of their own culture. Its hard not to make fun of a culture that makes fun of themselves. Although it is wrong, I don’t think there is a way to stop it.
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I have always had what some would say to be the weirdest pet peeve ever. My biggest pet peeve is when people determine their politics based on what their parents believe. Having gone to an all-girls private prep school I was obviously surrounded by a lot of Republicans who had NO idea what they were talking about. They were truly so ignorant to what the republican party was about that openly contradicted themselves every time the issue of politics came up. I had to listen to their crap when Bush got re-elected and I was not happy but I did not attack Bush. I made my opinions known then dropped the issue.
On election night, I was elated. McCain had conceded the election at exactly 11:03 p.m., that is before all the polls had even closed and the quickest that a candidate has ever conceded from the race. My high was quickly brought down when I logged into facebook. Girls I had spent four years of my life with and some people that I had known longer than that were openly making their facebook statuses horrible racial comments. Things such as “I’m moving to Canada,” I could handle. However, things like “White people, report to the cotton fields at 6am. Love Obama. LOOK WHAT YOU FUCKERS DID” Or “my president isn’t black….i have no president” or “goodbye freedom, welcome to the Muslim America”, I could not handle. There were pictures posted of people burning Obama signs and what I have written is not even the worst of the bunch. I was appalled by the fact these people could make such horrific comments.
That is exactly what happened at this county too. How can people feel that it is necessary to say these things is beyond my comprehension. This watermelon joke crosses the line, it is offensive because there are negative connotations associated with the image of black people and watermelon. I can see why there may be confusion about if it goes too far or not but when it comes to making jokes about race, society pretty much dictates that unless you are making a joke about your own race, it can be offensive. It may not seem fair or right, but it is true. The bigger question to ask is why do we need to even make jokes like this? I understand that there will always be jokes made about the president but this is a joke about his race, not about his actions as the president. No one made fun of Bush for being right, they didn’t make a cartoon about him being a rich white guy at the country club so why is it that we feel like a joke about Obama being black is acceptable to publish?
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